Once Upon A Time
by Obsession137
Summary: I'm writing the entire series out as a story. This first one will be the first half of season 1. Completely canon.


**Hey everyone. So I'm sure this has probably been done before, but I'm going to be writing the entire series as a book series. Each chapter will be each episode. This will be long, and will take a long time but I have nothing else to do, so XD**

**Lemme know what you guys think , if I should carry on :)**

* * *

**ONCE UPON A TIME**

_Chapter One_

Once upon a time, there was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know. One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen. Our world. This is how it happened...

* * *

_Time was running out; he needed to find her. He rode on a white horse, faster than he had ever gone before. He wore a red cloak and a determined look upon his face. Over the lakes, down the mountainsides and through the forests he rode. Through day and night, rain and snow._

_He finally reached a clearing in the trees, where the snow fell. Seven dwarves all stood around a bed. They turned as they heard him approach._

"_You're too late," one of them said, the sadness clear in his eyes. The drarf turned towards the bed to gesture where the woman was lying. She was still as a rock. She wore a white dress, and had long ebony hair. Her eyes were closed and it looked as though she was in a very deep sleep._

"_No," the man whispered as he stared at the woman he loved. "No!" he said again, running towards her. _

_She looked so peaceful, he thought as he stared down at her through the glass. He needed to kiss her one last time._

"_Open it," he said to the dwarves, not taking his eyes off of her._

"_I'm sorry, she's gone," a dwarf replied._

_The man looked down, feeling the warmth just rush out of him. He looked up again, taking a breath. "At least let me say goodbye."_

_The dwarves looked at one another and nodded in agreement. Slowly, they pulled the glass door open and stood back to give him some privacy._

_He knelt down and leaned in to give her one last kiss. As his lips pressed against hers, he felt a rush of lightness wash over himself and all over the forest around him. As he pulled away, he heard a loud intake of breath and looked back at her. She was awake._

_She looked up at her surroundings and her eyes fell upon him. She smiled. "You," she said. "You found me."_

_He held onto her arm and smiled back. "Ever doubt I would?"_

_She sat up, holding onto him. "Truthfully?" she said. "The glass coffin made me pause." She placed her hand on his cheek as he laughed slightly._

"_You never have to worry, I will always find you," he said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear._

"_Do you promise?" she replied staring deep into his eyes._

"_I do," he said, on their wedding day._

"_And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?"_

_The room was filled with hundreds of people they both loved and cared about, all clapping and crying and smiling as they looked towards Snow White and Prince Charming in the centre of the room._

* * *

_Snow smiled. "I do."_

"_I now pronounce you husband and wife!"_

_The whole room broke into cheers as the married couple stared at each other lovingly. They leaned in to share their wedding kiss, but were stopped when the door slammed open._

_Everyone turned to look for the source of the noise._

_A woman wearing all black stood in the doorway with a wicked smile on her face. _

_Utter fear broke out on all of the guests faces. Snow and Charming looked frightened as they stared at their intruder._

"_Sorry I'm late," she said loudly with a smirk. She advanced forwards towards the alter. Two guards stepped forwards to stop her. She raised both arms and pushed them aside with magic, throwing them into the crowd. Loud gasps emerged from the crowd._

"_It's the Queen, run!"_

_Sensing the panic in her guests, Snow grabbed the sword out of her husband's holster and pointed it towards the Queen._

"_She's not a Queen anymore!" Snow said. "She's nothing more than an evil witch."_

_Charming rushed forwards to hold his wife back. "No, don't stoop to her level. There's no need."_

_The Queen kept a smirk on her face as Charming and Snow lowered the sword. Charming continued, staring at the Queen. "You're wasting your time, you've already lost! And I will not let you ruin this wedding." Snow held on to his arm, neither of them taking their eyes off of her._

"_Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything," the Queen said. "On the contrary dear, I've come to give you a gift."_

"_We want nothing from you," Snow said, feeling the anger bubble up._

"_But you shall have it!" The Queen replied, no longer smirking. "My gift to you is this happy-" she paced around staring at the guests. "-happy day. For tomorrow my real work begins! You've made _your_ vows, now _I_ make mine. Soon, everything you love – everything _all_ of you love, will be taken from you, forever."_

_Everybody in the room started to gasp and stare at one another in fear as they listened to what the Queen was saying._

"_And out of your suffering," she continued. "Will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do."_

_With that, she turned on her heel, heading back towards the door with a smile on her face._

"_HEY!" Charming yelled in anger. The Queen turned back to look at him. He hurled the sword towards her. The blade swung round and round in the air. Just as it was about to go straight through her chest, she disappeared in cloud of black smoke. Gasps were heard from all over the room._

_Charming embraced his wife as they stared at the spot where the Queen had just vanished._

* * *

A young boy with brown hair was sitting on a coach. He was reading a book. There was a picture of a couple on their wedding day holding each other as they stared at something. The boy closed his book over as the coach slowed down.

"Is that a good book?" a woman asked him.

"This," he said with a smile. "Is more than just a book."

The woman smiled. "Ooh," she said, as the coach driver announced that they were now in Boston. The boy stepped off of the coach, with his backpack on his back and looked around. He headed out to where the cabs were parked. He walked up to one of the windows and knocked.

The driver looked slightly confused, but opened the window.

"Uh, do you take credit cards?" the boy asked him, holding up a card.

"Where to, chief?" the driver asked. The boy smiled and jumped in.

* * *

A tall blonde woman in a knee-length red dress stepped out of the elevator of a posh restaurant in Boston. She was surrounded by couples eating dinner and drinking glasses of wine. She walked around the restaurant for a little bit, looking for the person she was meeting.

She caught sight of a man, who seemed to recognise her and stood up. She smiled warmly and walked towards him.

"Emma," he said, shaking her hand.

"Ryan?"

They both laughed nervously. "You look really-"

"No," he said, pulling her chair out for her. She sat down and he continued, taking his seat. "Well, it is the internet. Pictures can be-"

"-Fake," she said. "Outdated, stolen from a Victoria's Secret catalogue."

He laughed a little.

"So," she said.

"So, um," he looked up at her. "Tell me something about yourself, Emma."

"Oh," she replied. "Uh, well, today's my birthday."

"And you're spending it with me? What about your friends?" Ryan asked.

"I'm a bit of a loner," Emma replied.

"You... you don't like your family?" he asked.

"No family to like."

"Oh come on, everyone has family," he said.

"Technically, yeah," Emma said. "Everyone knows who they are. Ready to run yet?"

"Oh, not a chance! You, Emma, are by far, the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met."

Emma laughed and nodded. "Okay. Your turn."

He was about to start but she stopped him.

"No, wait. Let me guess."Um, you are handsome, charming. The kind of guy who – now stop me if I get this wrong- embezzled from your employer, got arrested and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail."

He smiled nervously. "What?"

"Worst part of all of this is your wife. Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out, and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date!"

He was no longer smiling. "Who are you?"

Emma smirked. "The chick who put up the rest of the money."

He sighed. "You're a bail bondsman."

"Bail bondsperson," she replied.

He let out a breath and looked down. Without any warning he jumped up and pushed the table over into her, smashing all of the plates and glasses. He took off faster than ever.

Emma sighed, looking down at her red dress which was now soaked in wine. "Really?" she said to herself.

Ryan rushed out of the building and weaved his way between cars, followed closely by Emma who was not running but walking fast with a smirk on her face. He unlocked his car and jumped inside, but it would not start up. He stepped out again noticed clamps on his wheels.

Emma finally reached him.

"You don't have to do this, okay? I can pay you, I have money." He said.

"No you don't, and if you did you should give it to your wife to take care of your family," Emma said.

"What the hell do you know about family, huh?" he spat.

Emma stared, feeling angry. She put her hands through the window, grabbed him and slammed his head against the steering wheel of his car, making the airbag burst out.

"Nothing," she said.

* * *

Emma opened the door to her apartment and hobbled in, throwing her high heels into the corner.

She set her takeout food bag on the kitchen counter and opened a box she had brought in. Inside was a cupcake. She placed a single candle on top of the cake and lit it. Bending over and leaning in towards the cake, she smiled sadly.

"Another better year," she whispered. Closing her eyes, she blew out the candle on her birthday cake.

The doorbell rang.

Emma looked up and walked over to the door. She opened it up and she couldn't see anybody at the door, until she looked down to see a young boy with brown hair and a backpack on. "Uh," she said, feeling confused. "Can I help you?"

"Are you Emma Swan?" the boy asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Who are you?"

"My name's Henry," he replied, smiling. "I'm your son."

Emma didn't know what to think. Before she could reply, he was already stepping into her apartment. "Hey, woah, kid. Kid? Kid! I don't have a son!"

She followed him into the kitchen. "Where are your parents?"

He stopped and rested his hand on her kitchen chair. "Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption?"

Her heart dropped. This couldn't be happening. She just stared.

"That was me," Henry said.

"Give me a minute," Emma said, rushing into the bathroom. She felt faint. She didn't want this. She never expected this. Why was this happening? She held onto the bathroom door for support as she tried to control her breathing.

"Hey, do you have any juice?" Henry shouted from the other side of the door. "Never mind, found some!"

Emma opened the door to find Henry sitting on a chair drinking juice from the bottle. Before she could say anything, he spoke again.

"You know, we should probably get going."

She folded her arms. "Going where?"

"I want you to come home with me."

She could not believe this was happening. "Okay, kid. I'm calling the cops." She walked over to the phone. Henry stood up.

"I'll tell them you kidnapped me."

This stopped her. She turned around. "And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother."

Henry smiled. "Yep."

"You're not gonna do that."

"Try me."

Emma smiled. "You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have _one_ skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying, and you kid, _are_."

She started to dial the number into her phone.

"Wait, please don't call the cops," Henry said. She stopped. "Please. Come home with me."

Emma sighed. "Where's home?"

"Storybrooke, Maine."

"Storybrooke?" Emma said. "Seriously?"

"Yep," Henry nodded.

"Alrighty then," Emma said, putting the phone down reluctantly. "Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

Henry smiled and followed her.

* * *

_A magnificent castle stood in the middle of a lake, surrounded by mountains and forests. A long stone bridge connected the castle to the land._

_Snow White stood on a balcony, heavily pregnant. She smiled sadly at the bluebird perched on her hand. The bird flew off and up into the sky. Snow placed her hands on her stomach._

"_What's wrong?" Charming asked._

_Snow looked at him. "Nothing."_

"_You're thinking about what the Queen said again, aren't you?" He looked at her and sighed. "Snow, please. I can't keep having this conversation. You have to let it go." He said taking her hands. "We're about to have a baby." He gestured to the room behind them, which was filled with toys and a crib, which had a mobile hanging above it._

_Snow stepped back into the room. "I haven't had a restful night since our wedding."_

_Charming followed her. "That's what she wants! To get in our heads, but they're only words. She can't hurt us."_

_Snow looked up at him as they stood by the crib. "She poisoned an apple because she thought I was prettier than her. You have no idea what she's capable of."_

_Charming sighed. "What can I do to ease your mind?"_

"_Let me talk... to _him_."_

_Charming stared at her, shocked. "_Him_? You don't mean-"_

"_I do."_

"_No! No, no, it's too dangerous."_

"_He sees the future," Snow said._

"_There's a reason he's locked up."_

_Snow was desperate now. "Can you promise me our child will be safe? Can you guarantee it, because he can!"_

_She stared at him while he thought about it. He stared at the crib and nodded. "Alright. For our child."_

* * *

Emma and Henry had been in the car a while now. Neither had said anything, until Henry broke the silence. "I'm hungry," he said. "Can we stop somewhere?"

"This is not a road trip, we're not stopping for snacks."

"Why not?"

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember, I could have put your butt on a bus, I still could."

"You know I have a name, it's Henry."

Emma sighed and looked over at him. He had a book in his lap. A large book with a brown cover.

"What's that?" Emma asked.

Henry looked at Emma and then at the book. "I'm not sure you're ready."

Emma snorted. "Ready for some fairytales?"

Henry closed the book. "They're not fairytales." He said. "They're true. Every story in this book _actually_ happened."

Emma nodded and whispered, "of course they did."

"Use your super power," Henry said. "See if I'm lying."

Emma looked at him. He sure didn't look like he was lying, but that was crazy. "Just because you believe something, doesn't make it true."

"That's exactly what makes it true," Henry said. "You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?" Emma asked, feeling more and more confused with everything he said.

"Because you're in this book."

"Oh kid," Emma said. "You've got problems."

"Yep, and you're gonna fix them."

* * *

"_When we reach his cell, stay out of the light, and whatever you do, _don't_ let him know your name. If he knows your name, he will have power over you."_

_Snow and Charming were in a pitch black cave. The only light was that of the torch held by the man who was escorting them to _Him_._

_They could see a jail cell at the end of the cage._

"_Rumplestiltskin. _Rumplestiltskin! _I have a question for you," the guard said._

"_No you don't" came a loud voice from inside the cell. "They do. Snow White and Prince Charming." He cackled. "You insult me. Step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes."_

_Snow and Charming pulled the hoods back that were covering their faces. They stepped closer to him._

"_That's much better," Rumplestiltskin said._

"_We've come to ask you about the Queen-" Charming started._

"_YES YES I KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE!" Rumplestiltskin yelled. "You want to know about the Queen's threat."_

_As they neared closer to him, they could see his face more clearly. He had straggly brown hair and scaly skin, that seemed to glimmer a bit in the light from the torch. His eyes were black and his expression was close to manic._

"_Tell us what you know," Snow demanded._

"_Ooh! Tense, are we? Fear not! For I can ease your mind!" he said with a menacing smile. "But, it's going to cost you something in return."_

"_No," Charming said. "He's a waste of time," he said to Snow, who advanced towards Rumplestiltskin._

"_What do you want?" she asked him._

"_Oh," Rumplestiltskin said with a grin. "The name of your unborn child?"_

"_Absolutely not!" Charming yelled._

_Snow wasn't listening; "Deal!" she said. "What do you know?"_

_Rumplestiltskin smiled triumphantly. "The Queen has created a powerful curse, and it's coming. Soon you'll all be in a prison. Just like me! Only worse! Your prison – all of our prisons – will be time. Time will stop, and we will be trapped. Some place horrible, where everything we hold dear – everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity. While the Queen celebrates VICTORIOUS AT LAST!"_

_Charming and Snow stared, their hearts dropping._

"_No more happy endings," Rumplestiltskin said._

"_What can we do?" Snow asked._

"We_ can't do anything," he replied._

"_Who can?" she asked._

_He reached down to touch her stomach. "That little thing growing inside your belly."_

_Charming reached for his sword and raised it over Rumplestiltskin's wrist, making him pull his hand back. "Next time, I cut it off!"_

"_The infant is our only hope. Get the child to safety. Get the child to safety and on it's 28__th__ birthday, the child will return. The child will find you. AND THE FINAL BATTLE WILL BEGIN! HA HA HA!"_

"_Enough," Charming said, pulling Snow away. "We're leaving." They walked away, leaving Rumplestiltskin to cackle madly in his cage._

"_WAIT! DON'T GO! WE MADE A DEAL, I WANT HER NAME! WE HAD A DEAL, I. NEED. HER. NAME! I WANT HER NAME!"_

"_Her?" Charming said, turning around. "It's a boy."_

"_Missy!" Rumplestiltskin said. Snow turned around to face him. "Misssssy, you know I'm right. Tell me. What's her name?"_

_She closed her eyes. "Emma. Her name is Emma."_

_Rumplestiltskin smiled. "Emma."_

* * *

It was pouring with rain outside the car as they drove past a sign which read 'Welcome to Storybrooke'.

Thunder rolled as they arrived in the town centre. It was very quiet on the streets; nobody was around.

"Okay kid, how about an address?"

"44 Not Telling You Street," Henry said with a smirk. Emma pulled the brakes and stared at him, feeling annoyed. She stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut. Henry got out the other side.

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost-" she looked up at the clock tower next to where she'd parked. That was weird. "-8:15?"

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life," Henry said. "Time's frozen here."

"Excuse me?" Emma said, folding her arms again.

"The evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Hang on. An evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters _here_?"

"Yeah!" Henry said. "And now they're trapped."

"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine?" Emma said, still with her arms folded. "That's what you're going with?"

"It's true!"

"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" Emma asked.

"They can't. If they try, bad things happen."

A male voice called Henry's name, causing both Henry and Emma to look over. A bespectacled man holding an umbrella in one hand, and a dog's lead attached to a Dalmatian in another, walked over. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Archie." Henry said, patting the dog.

Archie looked at Emma. "Who's this?"

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma said.

"She's my mum, Archie."

Archie looked back at Emma. "Ohhh! I see."

"You know where he lives?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, sure. Just uh, right over on Missleton Street. The mayor's house is the biggest one on the block."

Emma sighed and looked at Henry. "You're the mayor's kid?"

Henry looked at his shoes. "Um, maybe."

"Hey, where were you today Henry?" Archie asked. "You missed your session."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip."

Archie smiled sadly at Henry, and knelt down. "Henry, what did I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Ooookay," Emma said. "Well, I really should be getting him home."

Archie stood up. "Yeah sure, well listen. Have a good night, and uh, you be good Henry."

Archie walked away, and Emma turned back to look at Henry. "So that's your Shrink?"

"I'm not crazy," Henry said.

"Didn't say that," Emma replied. "Just, he doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help," Henry said. "Because he _doesn't know_."

"That he's a fairytale character?"

"None of them do. They don't remember who they are." Henry started to walk around the car to get back inside.

"Convenient," Emma smiled. "Alright, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?"

"Jiminy Cricket," Henry said, as they both got into Emma's yellow car.

"The lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit!"

"I'm not Pinocchio!" Henry said defensively.

"Of course you're not," Emma said. "Because that would be ridiculous."

* * *

_Charming slammed his fist down on a large round table surrounded by his and Snow's friends. "I say we fight!"_

"_Fighting is a bad idea. Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything," said Jiminy Cricket. He was sat under a magnifying glass so that the people around the table could see him properly._

"_And how many wars has a clear conscience won?" Charming asked. "We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse."_

"_Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?" asked one of the dwarves._

"_I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan," Charming said. "This is going to happen unless we do something."_

"_There's no point," Snow whispered. "The future is written."_

"_No," Charming said. "I refuse to believe that. Good can't just lose."_

"_Yes it can," Snow replied. _

_Charming looked at her and knelt by her side. "No. No, not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She _will_ be the saviour."_

_A door slammed open, causing everyone to turn and look. Men in armour walked into the room, carrying what looked to be a tree trunk._

"_What the hell is this?" Charming asked, standing up._

"_Our only hope of saving the child," came a female voice. Everybody looked up to see the Blue Fairy, floating down to hover above the table._

"_A tree? Our faith rests on a tree?" Grumpy asked. "Let's get back to the fighting thing."_

"_The tree is enchanted," the fairy said. "If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse. Gepetto," she said, turning to face an old man. "Can you build such a thing?"_

_Gepetto nodded, looked down at a young boy who was sitting on the floor next to his chair. "Me and my boy, we can do it."_

_The fairy smiled. "This will work. We _all_ must have faith."_

_Snow reached for her husband's hand, feeling hopeful. She smiled up at him._

_The fairy carried on. "There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is indeed powerful, but all power has it's limits. And this tree, can protect only one."_

_Charming and Snow looked at each other with the realisation that they could not do this together. They were going to be apart._

* * *

Emma parked outside a house that resembled a smaller version of the White House. She stepped through the front gates with Henry behind her.

"Please don't take me back there," he said.

"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you," Emma said, walking up the path.

"I don't have parents," Henry said. "Just a mom, and she's _evil_."

Emma stopped and looked at him, rolling her eyes. "Evil? That's a bit extreme isn't it?"

"She is. She doesn't love me, she only pretends to."

"Kid," Emma said, leaning over. "I'm sure that's not true."

"_HENRY?_" the front door of the house opened and a woman with shoulder-length black hair and a formal grey dress came running towards them. "Henry!" She pulled him into a hug. "Are you okay? Where have you _been_?"

She stood up and looked at Emma, and then back at Henry. "What happened?" she asked.

"I found my _real_ mom," Henry spat, running into the house.

Henry's mother stood up straight, looking wounded. Then she focused on Emma, who felt slightly awkward. "You're Henry's birth mother?"

"Hi," Emma smiled awkwardly.

"I'll just go check on the lad," said a man, who Emma hadn't even noticed before that, who had been standing in the doorway. "Make sure he's alright."

Henry's mother looked Emma down and forced a smile. "How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?"

"Got anything stronger?" Emma asked.

She followed the mayor into the house, and waited while she brought in some glasses. Emma was itching to ask. "How did he find me?"

"No idea. When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact."

"You were told right," Emma said, feeling awkward again.

"And the father?" she asked.

"There was one," Emma said.

"Do I need to be worried about him?"

"Nope," Emma replied. "He doesn't even know."

The mayor handed Emma a glass. "Do I need to be worried about you Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not."

"Madame Mayor, you can relax," the man said as he came down the stairs. "Other than being a tired little boy, Henry is fine."

"Thank you, Sherrif," the mayor replied. He made his way to the door and closed it quietly behind him.

"I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life, I really don't know what's gotten in to him," the mayor said, leading Emma into another room.

"Kid's having a rough time," Emma said. "It happens."

"You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky."

Emma took a seat on a couch and looked at the mayor who continued. "You have a job I assume?"

"I keep busy, yeah," Emma said, placing her drink down on the table in front of her.

"Imagine having another one on top of it," the mayor said. "That's being a single mom." She sat down opposite Emma. "So I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?"

"I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing," Emma said, taking a sip of her drink.

"What fairytale thing?"

"Oh, you know his book," Emma said. "How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his Shrink is Jiminy Cricket."

"I'm sorry, I really have no idea what you're talking about," the mayor said.

Emma decided not to go on about it. "You know what, it's none of my business. He's your kid, and I really should be heading back."

"Of course," said the mayor, standing up and opening the door for Emma.

As Emma unlocked her car, she looked up at the window for a second to see Henry peering out at her.

* * *

As Emma made her way back out of Storybrooke, she happened to glance over at the passenger seat and see Henry's story book. She smiled and shook her head.

"Sneaky bastard."

When she looked back at the road, she spotted a white wolf standing right in the middle of the street. She swerved as not to hit it and her car spun out of control. The side of her car hit the Storybrooke sign and she hit her head back on the car seat.

The wolf howled.

Everything went black.

* * *

_Snow White stared out at the scenery, and then headed back inside to where her husband was sitting. "I don't wanna do this," she said, teary. _

"_It has to be you," Charming replied standing up and walking over to her._

"_I'm not leaving you!"_

_He held onto her tightly. "It's the only way. You'll go in there, and you'll be safe from the curse."_

"_He said it would be on her 28__th__ birthday!" Snow said. _

"_What's 28 years when you have eternal love?" Charming said, staring into her eyes. "I have faith. You will save me as I did you._

_She smiled up and him and kissed him softly on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck._

_She stepped back suddenly._

"_What is it?" he asked._

_Snow clutched her stomach. "The baby," she whispered. "She's coming!"_

_A loud bell rang from the top of the castle. A bell that told them that the curse was here._

* * *

Emma opened her eyes to the sound of someone whistling. She was lying on a single bed in what seemed to be a jail cell. She glanced over at the source of the whistling to see a short man sitting in the cell next door.

"What are you looking at, sister?" he said.

An old man from outside the cells looked at the short man. "Hey, LeRoy. Manners. We have a guest! So you are Henry's mother? How lovely for him to have you back in his life."

Emma stood up and put her hand on her sore head. "Actually, I was just dropping him off."

"Don't blame ya," LeRoy said. "They're all brats, who needs em?"

The old man looked annoyed. "Well I'd give anything for one." He looked at Emma. "My wife and I, we tried for many years, but... he was not meant to be."

Emma looked down.

"Well cry me a river," LeRoy said.

The Sherrif that had been at the mayor's house walked in with keys in his hands. "LeRoy! If I'm going to let you out, then you'd better behave." He unlocked the door for LeRoy. "Put on a smile and stay out of trouble."

LeRoy forced a grin, and walked off. Emma stuck her head between the bars and looked at the Sherrif.

"Seriously?" she said.

"Regina's drinks," he said. "A little stronger than we thought."

"I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road," Emma replied.

"A wolf, right."

"_GRAHAM_!" yelled a familiar voice. "Henry's run away again, we have to-"

Regina stopped when she spotted Emma. "What is _she_ doing here? Do you know where he is?"

"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house, and I have a pretty good alibi," Emma said.

"Well he wasn't in his room this morning."

"Did you try his friends?" Emma asked.

"He doesn't really have any," Regina replied. "He's kind of a loner."

"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how," Regina asked, raising her voice.

"Finding people is what I do," Emma replied. "Here's an idea. How about, you guys let me out and I'll help you find him?"

* * *

Emma looked through the emails on Henry's computer with Graham and Regina behind her.

"Smart kid," she said. "Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too. Little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."

Emma put the device into Henry's computer. "I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techiniques," Graham said. "Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."

"You're on salary," Emma said. "I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury I get."

Regina was pacing Henry's room.

"Oh, there's a receipt for a website. It was ' '. It's expensive, he has a credit card?" Emma said, looking at Regina.

"He's 10." Regina said.

"Well he used one," Emma replied. "Let's pull up a transaction record." She clicked on the screen. "Mary Margaret Blanchard. Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"

"Henry's teacher," Regina replied, looking annoyed.

* * *

A woman with ebony hair was walking through her classroom, holding a bluebird in her hand. "As we build our birdhouses, remember, what you're making is a home," she said to her class. "Not a cage. The bird is free, and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures," she said, holding the bird out of the window, and letting go. The bird flew up into the trees. "If you love them and they love you, they will always find you."

The school bell rang, and the children all rushed to get out of the classroom.

"We'll pick this up after recess, no running!"

As the children filed out, Regina walked in and stood in front of Mary Margaret.

"Miss Mills, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Where's my son?"

"I assumed he'd be home sick with you."

"You think I'd be here if he was?" Regina said angrily. "Did you give him your credit card so he could find her?" she said, looking at Emma who had just walked in.

Mary Margaret looked at Emma. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm his... I'm his-"

"-The woman who gave him up for adoption," Regina cut in.

Mary Margaret looked confused and then opened her handbag. "You don't know anything about this, do you?" Emma asked.

"No, unfortunately not," Mary Margaret replied, looking into her purse to see a credit card missing. "Clever boy. I should never have given him that book."

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina yelled.

"Just some old stories I gave him," Mary Margaret said. "As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it."

"What he needs is a dose of reality," Regina said. "This is a waste of time."

Mary Margaret looked down. Regina stormed out of the room, knocking things off of one of the desks. "Have a nice trip back to Boston," he said to Emma as she left the room."

Emma went to help Mary Margaret pick up the things that had fallen.

"Sorry to bother you," Emma said.

"No, no. It's okay," Mary Margaret replied, looking at Emma strangely. "I fear this is partially my fault."

"How's the book supposed to help?" Emma asked.

"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See Henry hasn't always had the easiest life."

"No, she's kind of a hard ass," Emma said, as they walked out of the classroom.

"No, it's more than her," Mary Margaret said. "He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away?"

Emma stopped, feeling a little ashamed. Mary Margaret stopped too, and looked at Emma. "I am so sorry. I am so sorry, I didn't mean in any way to judge you."

"It's okay," Emma whispered.

"Look, I have the book to Henry because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?"

"You might wanna check his castle," Mary Margaret said with a smile.

* * *

_Charming held onto his wife as she screamed in agony on the bed. It was time; the baby was almost here. _

"_No, no, I can't!" Snow screamed, knowing that the curse was coming. "I can't have this baby now!"_

"_It's gonna be okay," Charming said. "The wardrobe's nearly finished, just hold on."_

_She screamed again._

"_It's ready," Gepetto said, running into the room. Charming looked up._

"_It's ready," he repeated, going to pick Snow up._

"_It's too late," Doc said, who was helping with the birth. "We can't move her."_

_Snow let out another scream and a push._

_The room was filled with the crying of a newborn baby. Charming wrapped her up in a blanket that had 'Emma' embroidered along the bottom in purple, and handed the baby to Snow. _

_The two parents smiled down at their baby and then at each other for a brief moment of happiness. Charming kissed his wife's forehead and looked down at Emma._

_Then the realisation hit. "The wardrobe," Snow said. "It only takes one."_

_They looked at each other. A bang came from the hallway, and screams. They were in danger._

"_Then our plan has failed," Charming said. "At least we're together."_

_Snow looked down at Emma. "No," she said. "You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."_

"_Are you out of your mind?"_

"_No, it's the only way, you have to send her though-"_

"_-No, you don't know what you're saying!"_

"_I do! We have to believe that she'll come back for us," Snow said. "We have to give her her best chance."_

_They stared at each other, knowing what this meant. They may never see her every again. Charming leaned down and kissed Emma's forehead._

"_Goodbye, Emma," Snow said, with tears in her eyes. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and then her husband, as he took Emma in his arms and ran from the room, grabbing his sword on the way out._

_Snow clutched onto the bed sheets, sobbing harder than ever._

_Charming battled his way through the Queen's guards with a sword in one hand and Emma in the other. He ran through the castle corridors and into what was supposed to be Emma's bedroom._

_The wardrobe sat in the corner. He put his sword down and placed Emma into the wardrobe. Kissing her forehead once more he said, "find us." And closed the wardrobe doors._

_He stood up and grabbed his sword as two more guards entered the room. He swung his sword at them, but he was too slow; the blade went right through his side. He stood for a moment and then fell to the ground._

_He watched as the guards walked towards the wardrobe and opened it._

_Emma was gone._

_He smiled and closed his eyes._

* * *

Emma took Henry's story book with her as she made her way to his 'castle', which was actually just a playground. She climbed onto the climbing frame where she spotted him sitting, and sat down next to him.

"You left this in my car," she said, handing Henry the book. He stared up at the clock tower in the distance. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would have changed here," Henry replied. "That the final battle would begin."

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid," Emma said.

"Yes you are!" Henry said, now looking at Emma. "You should because it's your destiny. You're gonna bring back the happy endings!"

"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma said, feeling annoyed.

"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me, I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance."

Emma sighed and looked away. "How do you know that?"

"It's the same reason Snow White gave you away," Henry said.

"Listen to me, kid, "Emma said. "I am not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no saviour. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Come on, let's go." She said, feeling teary. She jumped off the climbing frame.

Henry stood up. "Please don't take me back there! Just stay with me for one week, that's all I ask!" he said desperately, running after her. "One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy."

"I have to get you back to your mom!" Emma said.

"You don't know what it's like with her," Henry said with a breaking voice. "My life sucks!"

"Oh, you wanna know what sucking is?" Emma yelled. "Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway! My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital! I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was 3 but then they had their own kid so they sent me back!" She sighed, looking down at Henry. "Look, you're mom is trying her best. I know it's hard, and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you."

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway! That's just where you came through!"

"What?" Emma asked, exasperated.

"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse!"

Emma smiled sadly. "Sure they were. Come on Henry."

She took him back to her car.

* * *

_Snow struggled across the castle corridors to Emma's room. As she walked in, she saw the body of her husband, lying lifeless on the ground._

"_No," she cried. "No, No!"_

_She fell to the floor next to him, trying to shake him awake. _

"_Please," she said. "Please come back to me."_

_She leaned down and kissed him, hoping it would wake him up. It didn't work so she tried once more. Once again, it didn't work._

"_Oh, don't worry, dear," said a cold voice. Snow turned to see the Queen standing above her. "In a few moments you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him."_

_Snow had Charming in her arms as she stared at the Queen with loathing. "Why did you do this?"_

_The Queen leaned forwards angrily. "Because this is _my_ happy ending!"_

_Two guards stepped into the room and the Queen turned to them. "The child?"_

"_Gone," a guard said. "It was in the wardrobe, and then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."_

_The Queen looked back at Snow. "Where is she?"_

_Snow smiled. "She got away. You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win."_

"_We'll see about that," The Queen said, looking up at the ceiling, and laughing as the roof began to break._

_Wind swirled around as the curse reached them._

"_Where are we going?" Snow asked, feeling afraid._

"_Somewhere horrible," the Queen replied as a window smashed behind her. "Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine."_

_The curse engulfed them._

* * *

Emma knocked on Regina's door. Henry ran straight inside without saying a word to her.

"Thank you," Regina said to Emma.

"No problem."

"He's seemed to have taken quite a shine to you," she said.

"You know what's kinda crazy?" Emma said. "Yesterday was my birthday, and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then Henry showed up."

"I hope there's no misunderstanding here," Regina said.

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't mistake all this as invitation back into his life. Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago, and in the last decade while you've been – well who knows what you've been doing – I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is _my_ son."

"I was-"

"-_NO_! You don't get to speak! You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're going to be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I _will_ destroy you, if it is the last thing I do."

Emma stood staring at her.

"Goodbye, Miss Swan."

"Do you love him?" Emma asked, as Regina walked back into her house.

"Excuse me?"

"Henry – do you love him?"

"Of course I love him," Regina said, slamming the door shut.

* * *

Mary Margaret was in the hospital doing her volunteer work. She put flowers by the beds of the patients and held their hands.

She stepped into a separate room, to place flowers on the bed of a man with a life support machine.

A charming man.

* * *

Emma decided she was going to stay in Storybrooke. She made her way over to Granny's Bed and Breakfast.

She stepped through the door.

"You're out _all_ night and now you're going out again," Emma heard someone yell.

"I should have moved to Boston," an angry voice yelled.

"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern sea board."

Emma could see that the people arguing were an old woman and a young girl with a red streak in her hair.

"Excuse me," she said, as they walked straight past her. "I'd like a room."

Both grandmother and granddaughter looked at her.

"Really? Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for the square."

"It's fine," Emma said with a smile.

"Now, what's the name?"

"Swan. Emma Swan."

"Emma!"

Emma turned around to see a man. He looked rather delighted to see her, though she had no idea who he was.

"What a lovely name," he said.

"Thanks."

The man smiled.

"It's all here," the old woman said, handing a wad of money to the man.

"Yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you." He looked at Emma. "You enjoy your stay. Emma."

Emma raised her eyebrows as the man left. "Who's that?" she asked.

"Mr Gold," said the younger girl, who was now wearing a red scarf around her neck. "He owns this place."

"The inn?"

"No, the town. _So_, how long will you be with us?"

"A week," Emma replied. "Just a week."

"Great," the old woman said, with a smile. She handed Emma the key to her room. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

* * *

Henry stared out of the window at the clock tower.

The hand moved to 8:16.

He smiled.

###


End file.
